What have we been up to? 

We have fully settled into our new office this month and have been enjoying decorating, so it really feels like home. We are starting to get a feel for our roles and assigned our remit leads; this means alongside our faculty focus we can easily decide who sits on what committee and who replies to which emails. This is so we have clearer communication both with you and with the university.  

Emily and Vriti headed to their first Board of Governors meeting as student governors which was very eye opening towards what goes on within the university. “Our first meeting gave us the opportunity to gain an insight to the internal workings of the university and how we can best represent you- the students. We are looking forward to working closely with the members of the board throughout the year to make sure that students are always central to discussions.” ~ Emily 

The full team attended the Vice-Chancellors engagement event and heard everything about Team Plymouth; we were pleased to see how much focus was on the student experience and the future of the University. It was great to see Professor Richard Davies and the University Executive Group (UEG) engaging with staff in such an open and positive manner. We hope that in the new term this engagement will extend to the Student Town Hall where you can bring your questions, issues or comments addressed by the people that make the decisions. 

The keen eyed of you might have noticed us at some of the graduations last week. We were invited along to watch while Dindu (2025/26 SU President) and Kwaku (2025/26 President of Science and Engineering) gave their speeches at the ceremonies. It was great to see everyone celebrating their achievements and useful to find out what our role is. Congratulations to everyone who graduated this week, and we are already looking forward to celebrating those who will be graduating in December. 

Who have we been talking to? 

This month we have focused on getting to know, well, everyone! From faculty heads to our own communities’ team and the equality, diversity and inclusion reps, we’ve been busy meeting with anyone who can impact student experience to ensure they know how important you are.  

Emily has been talking to her faculty about how they could introduce the Red Box scheme for Arts, Humanities and Business. This scheme will ensure that free period products are provided in bathrooms across campus for students that need them. We want to make sure that menstruation is not a barrier to any student’s education, and that products are accessible to all.  

Poppy has been talking about the second annual STEM fest with her faculty. The event is growing this year with more panel discussions, networking opportunities and the potential for student showcases. The aim of this event is to provide opportunities for you outside of lectures and to highlight the brilliant work being done throughout the faculty. Keep an eye out for the STEM Fest in early 2027! 

Vriti has been busy attending meetings with the University Internationalisation Group and the University Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has had the chance to introduce herself and has begun making clear her commitment to representing the students. “These meetings helped me gain a better understanding of the ongoing discussions at the university and provide an opportunity to ensure I am well placed to raise student concerns and advocate for their interests.” ~ Vriti 

What events are coming up? 

We still have another month before September but don’t worry, we have been busy planning for International Welcome Week and Freshers! We’ve got fairs, speed mates and club nights and you may even catch the team at the karaoke. But it’s not just September to think about, we have been busy planning wellbeing fairs, post grad networking and awareness days for you in next year!  

While we wait for you all to return, we have some events of our own over the next month. The team are looking forward to heading to Bristol for a networking event with other Southwest Student Unions. This is an opportunity for us to get to know other teams at different universities around us and to see how other President teams run. We hope to come away having built connections with other teams and with even more ideas for the year ahead. 

We have a new event launching this year after Freshers: Faculty Mixers. These will be a great opportunity to meet new or old friends from within your school or faculty at the newly spruced-up SU. Have a chat or get to know each other over a game of pool. Come and share your experiences: who has the best module or the most interesting coursework or if you’re just starting your first year, pick someone’s brain about which lecturer will go on a 20-minute detour after being asked a question. 

And that’s been our month! Keep an eye on the Instagram and SU website for more updates about what we are getting up to, there will be another update in August just before we welcome everyone back, in the meantime: enjoy your summer!